The Federal Government has pleaded with striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to show mercy on students by calling off their strike. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige who made the call on Sunday while speaking with reporters in Awka, Anambra State also declared that Federal Government would pay a minimum wage, adding that things were being worked out by the Committee saddled with that responsibility.
“FG will comfortably pay minimum wage, we want to pay it, but there must be balancing because figures were bandied and we are asking Labour to exercise patience.
“I appeal to ASUU and Labour to have mercy on students and be patient. As far as I’m concerned, we have treated Labour well. And they should also know I’m a comrade and that is why I always intervened on matters that concern them.”
ASUU embarked on indefinite strike on November 4, 2018 after shunning a crucial meeting with the Federal Government. The meeting which was convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment was intended to resolve the impasse.
Since the commencement of the industrial action, the Union had met severally with Government representatives, although all the meetings failed to yield the desired result.
Dailypost reports that the FG and Labour representatives adjourned their meeting until Monday (today), after a five-hour deliberation last Friday.
